2009 Nissan GT-R: And So It Begins…

Part 2 of our ongoing story of following a new 1:24 scale model from beginning to the store shelf.

April 18: I’ve filled out our Product Development Request (PDR) forms for each of the GT-R models that we’ll be making. These forms give the details about the scale, line name, features, etc. as well as business information such as the projected quantity to be made. The forms were signed off by the U.S. people involved and will be hand-carried to our headquarters office in Hong Kong this weekend. There, the forms will be reviewed and additional information such as pricing and the estimated retail availability date will be added. When the details are acceptable, the president of May Cheong will sign it and a copy will be sent to me to file here at the California office. BORING!!! But it’s better than having people not “being on the same page.” We won’t be telling you how much this project will cost us but it’s a lot so we want to be sure that the details are communicated in advance.

I’ve sent the photos and specs to my counterpart Brian at our Hong Kong office who will review them and advise management about the project. He’ll also let me know if he needs additional images. One interesting feature on the car are the panels under the chassis that reduce aerodynamic drag. It’s just as important to keep the air flowing smoothly underneath as it is on top. The photo also shows an enlargement of part of the exhaust system — there are some interesting shapes there that will visually set off the smooth panels surrounding it.

Maisto Hard at Work!

or hardly at work? no really, here we find Chris…A.K.A. DiMex hard at work, laying out new product presentations, printing, collating, you know, stackin’ paper!

Chris is an integral part in the CAPD, he does a lot, works very hard, and doesn’t complain, basically he brings balance to the force. Check out the seriousness in his eyes, the concentration…or maybe it’s just gas, we’re not really sure.

Yeah, Chris is working hard… and behind the camera everyone else is too, seriously.

and Ralphie, well, he’s making sure we have the latest episode of South Park to keep us informed on recent events and what not (someone’s gotta do it.) Doesn’t he look like he’s having a little too much fun? Nah, that’s just a day in the life of the CAPD, and loving what we do is just the icing on the cake.

Maisto IN THE MILITARY

once in a while, we get things right. it doesn’t always happen, but once in a while…
maybe a month ago we had requested capd to create some new graphics for our line of 1:64 elite transport, which have been selling incredibly well. the guys had asked about doing some military decos, and dr. no, capd’s boss-man, did not say no. about 2 weeks ago the first samples came in.

capd tells dr. no some of the graphics are authentic, but that everyone is behind them.
so our own b-rad, brad trimmer, did the graphics. b-rad was off on vacation last week, which isn’t much of a change from his normal slacker tendencies while he is here (everyone knows we are joking about that…). so b-rad goes back to kentucky to visit family, including his son-in-law, who is stationed at Ft. Knox. oh, and he takes the sample with him. he had created the graphics replicating the marking, name, and motto of Fort Knox’s 19th Engineer Battalion, his son-in-laws unit. fortunately, everyone was pretty thrilled about it, so i guess dr. no is also.
hit the link to take a look at the story as it appeared in the local newspaper – don’t worry about typos or misinformation about quantities, etc – the bulk of the story is accurate.
way to go b-rad – we’re proud of you and your son-in-law!

click here to read the whole article

Rico’s Used Toy Lot!

Come on down and check out what we’ve got, test roll a brand-used vehicle today! We have plenty to choose from. Ok these are not really for sale, well they are when you find them in the store, but not these particular ones. These are first off the line decos. These are usually sent to licensors for approvals. These are what the CAPD uses to check our work and ensure you are getting a quality die-cast model, and our last chance to make any changes to the graphics or paint schemes. ENJOY!

Can you find any you don’t have? Any you have never seen? Leave us a comment and let us know!

Maisto Out Of The Closet! part 1

so this post started on tuesday, not quite over the hump yet, and it just happens to be TAX DAY, sucky kinda day, contemplating what we are going to put up on the blog (man is this tough!). we keep telling Ralphie the name of the blog is the daily dose, he thinks one post a week is fine… anyway, we’re trying to keep it fresh and new each day, you know how we do. so Charles (aka the professor) had this great idea of posting up old concepts that were sent to the graveyard before they even saw the light of day. we were like yeah, that will last half a post. i mean how much of that could this innovative, awesome company have? us? items that never made it to retail? noooooooooooooo!!!! and then, we went to the closet…

we were all pretty floored at the stuff that was locked up in the back room, the mock-up room, a.k.a. La Casa De Dimex!!! sometimes we have ideas or HK has ideas that just don’t quite make it, and when they don’t make it, they usually end up here (in the closet.) when we pulled the stuff out, most of our jaws dropped because we had never even seen these items and deep down we all knew why. so let’s start this fun, eye-opening, belly-aching, and somewhat frightening, little trip down Maisto memory lane. we’ll milk it, one item a week, and we’ll see how far we go.

anyone feeling thirsty?

really, after seeing this, I can use a drink…you? mmmmmm, yeah! let’s crack this baby open!

oh wait….. it’s not a drink? it’s packaging? Ahhhhhhh Yeeeeeeah!

so let’s analyze why the “Tuner Tonics”, the “Drifter Drafts”, or the “Cola Cars” did not get past dr. no:

… could not negotiate around the $.05 per bottle recycling charge.
… retailers expected too many “Clean Up On The Toy Aisle” calls.
… drinking and driving just do not mix. C’Mon.

stay tuned to this topic, because, unfortunately, there are plenty more where this came from!

Maisto ON BROADWAY

february 17th marked the beginning of another fun-filled stop on the show circuit, this time in new york, almost on broadway (actually it is a ways off-broadway) at the javitz center for the 2008 international toy fair. thanks to the input from our sales department (affectionately referred to as the sales slugs) we moved our temporary showroom upstairs – man did that make a difference. the traffic was phenomenal. not sure we’ll write any extra biz from it, but at least we gave away all the toy fair cars and mini catalogs we brought. biggest hits of the show were the street troopers, hummer world, moto-gp motorcycles, and the basic 1:18 and 1:24 line-ups. we also display our adopted italian sistah, bburago, in the same booth, and her 1:18 and 1:24 lamborghini reventon were absolutely the stars of the show. all in all, we mix in some exciting biz with stops at great restaurants and call it a show.
here are some photos of the booth:

and a pic of the toy fair give-away, expertly designed by b-rad:

p.s. – yes, it was a little slow on the blog front today. but when you don’t update your site for 8 months there’s a lot of stuff to get to… hopefully we’ll get something juicy from hk in the next couple of days.

Maisto ON COVERS!!!!

just a quickie for this sunday afternoon. check out the covers of 2 of the leading toy industry mags in the world – Toy Book in the US and Das Spielzeug in Germany. both mags’ covers featuring Street Troopers. also we’ve included the inside cover of toy book, which is the latest images of our HUMMER products. enjoy…

2009 Nissan GT-R: And So It Begins…

As a relatively affordable supercar, the new Nissan GT-R has no equal. With a near cult-like following for the past fifteen years, there is a lot of interest in the latest version. Previous GT-R cars were not sold in North America but the 2009 will be, although in very limited numbers.

Follow along with us as we show you the steps involved in making a new die-cast model. We’ll be making a 1:24 scale GT-R for our Special Edition (showroom stock) and AllStars (modified) lines.

Last year we saw the spy photos on the web and we watched and waited for the official debut at the Tokyo Motor Show. At the Los Angeles Auto Show in November, I shot some photos in anticipation of our making a model. In the first months of this year, we’ve been firming up our 2009 product choices.  r h b has been dealing with the manufacturer’s license agent to work out the business details of getting permission and with getting our company’s management approval. The project was greenlighted a few days ago so now it’s up to the product development department at the Maisto office in Fontana, California to get started.

We’ll be updating the progress on this project so you’ll be able to follow along.

April 9 and 10:  The license agent sent some photos by email and advised that she would be sending paint chips and CDs containing more photos. I received them and have gone through the photos, renaming them and editing out the ones with right-hand steering (ours will have left-hand steering). Nissan won’t be able to provide CAD files so our talented modelmakers will rely on photos to get all the curves and details right. For parts of the car that aren’t shown on the official photos, I’m scouring the internet to find the images that we’ll need.

1:18th Scale HUMMER® HX™ Concept

Debuted in early January, the HUMMER HX Concept is an exciting new version of the rugged off-road vehicle. Maisto International has a wide variety of replicas available in 1:18, 1:24, 4.5″ and 3″ die-cast and 1:12, 1:16, 1:24 and 1:64 radio-control.

1:18 Maisto Premiere Edition
2008 HUMMER® HX™ Concept (product expected to ship in April 2008)
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With its unmistakable HUMMER design and new compact dimensions, the HUMMER HX concept is all new. HUMMER introduced the nimble off-roader at the 2008 North American International Auto Show. “The HX is HUMMER’s vision of an agile, trail-ready, open-air vehicle that fits the lifestyles of everyone who needs or wants to drive off road,” said Martin Walsh, HUMMER general manager. “Of course, it carries exceptional off-road capability and the distinctive styling for which all HUMMERs are known.” Maisto replicates all of the exciting details in this 1:18 scale die-cast model that includes working steering, spring suspension and opening hood, doors and tailgate.

Maisto ON FIRE!!!!

Here is the latest “FIRE” from the ALLSTARS RED “TRANSPORTERZ” line. This one is exclusive to TARGET stores nationwide.  It features a unique Fire Dept. deco with matching HUMMER® HX™ Concept vehicle! Be sure to cop yours when these beauties deploy, and don’t get caught sleeping!